Platoon (1986)

A young soldier in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writer:

Oliver Stone

Stars:

Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe

Top Rated Movies #192 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Berenger	...	Sgt. Barnes
Keith David	...	King
Willem Dafoe	...	Sgt. Elias
Forest Whitaker	...	Big Harold
Francesco Quinn	...	Rhah
Kevin Dillon	...	Bunny
John C. McGinley	...	Sgt. O'Neill
Reggie Johnson	...	Junior
Mark Moses	...	Lt. Wolfe
Corey Glover	...	Francis
Johnny Depp	...	Lerner
Chris Pedersen	...	Crawford
Bob Orwig	...	Gardner
Corkey Ford	...	Manny
David Neidorf	...	Tex

Storyline

Chris Taylor is a young, naive American who gives up college and volunteers for combat in Vietnam. Upon arrival, he quickly discovers that his presence is quite nonessential, and is considered insignificant to the other soldiers, as he has not fought for as long as the rest of them and felt the effects of combat. Chris has two non-commissioned officers, the ill-tempered and indestructible Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes and the more pleasant and cooperative Sergeant Elias Grodin. A line is drawn between the two NCOs and a number of men in the platoon when an illegal killing occurs during a village raid. As the war continues, Chris himself draws towards psychological meltdown. And as he struggles for survival, he soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam war | gore | combat fatigue | gunfire | automatic weapon | 

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Taglines:

The first casualty of war is innocence.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM [United States]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

6 February 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Platoon

Filming Locations:

Luzon, Philippines

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$241,080, 21 December 1986, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$138,530,565

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hemdale, Cinema 86

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to his DVD commentary, the scene in which Chris saves a Vietnamese girl from being raped, was inspired by an incident in which Oliver Stone intervened in an assault on a villager in Vietnam.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the movie where Chris (Charlie Sheen) finds Sgt. Barnes wounded, Sgt. Barnes's shirt initially and covered in sweat and blood. Right before Chris shoots him, his shirt is ripped on his right side and mostly dry. Present as well is a big patch of dried blood (black) on his right hand, not visible in the previous shot.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pvt. Gardner: [seeing body bags] Oh, man. Is that what I think it is?
Sergeant: All right, you cheese-dicks, welcome to the Nam. Follow me!

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Alternate Versions

TV version has much of its dialogue redubbed and shots refilmed, replacing such lines as "He thinks he's Jesus F---in' Christ!" with "He thinks he's George Freakin' Washington!"

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: The Hunt for Red October/House Party/Courage Mountain/Rosalie Goes Shopping/Too Beautiful for You (1990)

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Soundtracks

WHITE RABBIT
Composed by Grace Slick
Performed by Jefferson Airplane
Published by Irving Music
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

Excellent look at Vietnam

This certainly rates as one of the best Vietnam films of all time. What I especially enjoyed was the realistic atmosphere of the film, entrenching the viewer into a world which seems surreal yet believable. Oliver Stone's real-life experience in Vietnam brought a gifted outlook to this film, one drawn by experience, not common Hollywood conventions. While this proved be a lesser film to the equally amazing Full Metal Jacket, it was not by much. The performances by Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen and John C. McGinley were exceptional, capturing the plight of the tortured soldiers.